


Now That You're Gone

by myheroesrbands



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Gen, I'm Sorry, Tears, Tony Stark Dies, Uncle Happy, Uncle Rhodey, eulogy, impending sadness ensues, memorial service, this is his memorial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2020-05-18 12:25:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19334488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myheroesrbands/pseuds/myheroesrbands
Summary: This is a three-part piece that includes the eulogies of Pepper Potts-Stark, Happy Hogan, and James Rhodes. Losing Tony Stark is going to leave an imprint on their lives forever. How they feel right now cannot be put into words, except they have to. These eulogies are their attempt at processing their grief.





	1. You’re Not With Me. But You're With Me

Pepper was called onto the podium first. When she stood, she realized just how _weak_ her legs were and let Rhodey walk her up there. “You can do this Pep,” he softly whispered to her.

 

She wished she could.

 

Standing in front of thousands, Pepper couldn’t help the small smile that crossed her face. _They’ve always loved you, Tony. You just never realized it._

 

Pulling a small piece of paper from her pocket, she started what was going to be the hardest speech of her life.

 

“Tony Stark was a complicated man.” A chuckle swept the crowd. “He never saw himself as a hero and as a society, we accepted that. We told him that he was not good enough. We told him that he was always going to be some stuck up billionaire who didn’t care about anyone but himself.

 

“And then I started dating him and I told myself “this is a totally different man” and that was the truth. He was completely different from the way we perceived him. Tony Stark, above all else that he was labeled as was a giver. He gave and gave. He gave me his love. He gave you all his inventions and most importantly, he gave his all into raising our daughter.” 

 

Looking at Morgan, sitting in the front row next to her Uncles Rhodey and Happy, made her tears flow even harder.

 

“Tony Stark gave this world his everything — including his life. I’m going to miss him, everyone who knew him will. But we all know that he died doing something _he_ knew had to be done. I will miss him. God, I’m going to miss him so much. But I know he’s probably up there saying “Keep your head up, Pep” and I don’t think I could have ever asked to have known someone as good as him.”

 

Her paper was littered with tears when she finished speaking and the crowd of people applauded. She needed a breather after that but Happy, Rhodey, and Morgan’s hugs definitely helped make the rest of the event bearable. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Hello. I'm so sorry about this. I wrote this first piece last month and I'm still working on Rhodey and Happy's and between the breakdowns, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to finish them. I hope you all enjoyed this.


	2. Tony was my best friend...

Happy was next on the podium. As he approached it, his head was clouded with so many thoughts that he almost felt like he was moving with no direction. As he stood behind the podium, in front of hundreds of people, he couldn’t help the feeling of contempt that swept over him — none of these people appreciated or bothered to appreciate Tony when he was alive. Why does death make people do things they normally wouldn’t?

Unable to answer those questions, and not willing to do so in front of these people, Happy cleared his throat and grabbed on to the sides of the stand — he was going to need the extra support. 

“Ahem,” his voice cracked as he cleared it again and began to speak. “Tony was my best friend. He wasn’t just someone you saw on TV or someone who was out saving people, he was the most kind-hearted person I had ever met.”

He took a look around the crowd. _You can do this_ , he repeated in his mind. 

“Funny story. The way we met. Tony had been looking for a new bodyguard. He’d interviewed me three times and the fourth time he went to interview me he said “You know what? You got the job. You’re the only one I think I’d actually trust with my life.” and I smiled and said “You got it, boss,” for the first time.”

As the people smiled through his story, his face took on a forlorn look. 

“I never wanted to let Tony down. We soon became friends simply because he didn’t just need a bodyguard. He needed a person. Tony was one of the best people in my life,” he paused. A tear fell from his eye, and he reached to wipe it only to pull his hand back and find more than one drop of water.

Though his voice shook and his grip on the sides of the podium tightened, he continued on.

“Tony was one of the best people in my life,” he repeated, “and I am so thankful to have known him and been a part of his story.

“Finally, Tony knew to help everyone but himself. It’s the thing I scolded him for but also loved him for at the same time. He had a caring heart. No matter the direction his company was going.”

He took a deep breath. He was going to need this last bit of strength or else he’d break down and that’d be over for his portion of the service. 

“ _That_ is what we need to remember Tony for. He may not have been perfect, but he tried, and he tried to help people and that’s what his legacy needs to be. That he helped us all by taking that last step,” he choked up and decided that was all he had the heart for. He was done. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back! Still working on these and as sad as ever! As always, I hope you enjoyed this and we've got one more [heartbreaking] eulogy.


	3. Brought to Silence.

It was Rhodey’s turn. 

Never in a million years did he think that he would be delivering a eulogy for Tony if he died before he was 60. As morbid as it was, Rhodey always thought _he_ would be killed in action and it would be _Tony_ delivering a eulogy at _his_ funeral. 

It was funny how life worked out. 

Life worked in the strangest way. It gave Tony a wife, a child, and a need to live before the fates decided he would be taken away from all of that. Rhodey laughed so bitterly every time he thought about it — the _one_ time Tony was happy, the universe said fuck you and took him away from that happiness. 

Rhodey just really missed his Tones.

As he stepped onto the podium, his eyes began pooling with tears again. Crying over Tony was second nature now. For weeks, the smallest thing reminded him of Tony — wood floors, tile floors, what razor he used, his _braces, Morgan,_ hell everything in his life had been influenced by Tony Stark in some way or another. He had cried so much over his best friend and honestly, he didn’t know when he would stop.

Tony made it to midlife; the Tony that Rhodey went to school with would be shocked at that fact. Rhodey smiled so softly at the thought of the younger version of Tony Stark and began to speak.

“I met Tony Stark when I was 18 years old, and he was starting fights at college parties,” he allowed the second of light chuckle to pass. He then continued. “But he wasn’t starting fights at those parties forever. He was an engineer at heart. He built so much while we were in school that I remember asking him if he was going to build another version of himself. His response broke my heart. “I would build another version of myself that didn’t have to go through what I went through,” was what he told me.

“Way after college and before Tony became Iron Man, I remember asking him if he would change anything about his life up to that point, and he paused before telling me no. That was all he said but I knew what he meant. He meant that if anything in his life had been different, it would mean I wouldn’t be by his side. We knew each other like that. Ask anybody from our college days, we were glued at the hip; there was no _Tony_ without his _James_ by his side. It was wild to think that Tony, as rowdy and wild as he was, made me just the same.”

The tears were flowing down his face without filter now. Tony had always had the ability to bring so many emotions forth whenever Rhodey was talking about him. 

“Tony Stark is my best friend. He’s the only person that knows me damn-near better than I know myself. He’s the only person that I trust with my braces and the work on them.” Rhodey didn’t care that he was talking about Tony in the present tense. This was important, damn it.

“Tony is my rock. Tony is my best man. We always joked that when I got married he would crash the reception to make everyone think he’d been unprepared. I know he cares about me though. I know he cares about everyone in this room — whether he knows you or not. Tony Stark is Tony Stark like that.”

He sniffed and the piece of paper in front of him was barely paper anymore as his tears covered more and more of it. 

“I don’t want to take up any more time than I have to but I want to close with this. Tony, man you know we miss you so much down here. Life just isn’t the same without your silly jokes or your silly nicknames. I know you’re listening and I love you kid. I love you so damn much and I really wish you were here. I’m missing a piece of me that only you can fill.”

Rhodey barely made out a “thank you” before breaking down on the podium. His entire body fell to the stand as if it were the only weight to pick him up. Happy came to pick him up and walk him off the stage but it was clear that the damage had been done. 

 

Tony’s death brought James Rhodes to silence — his cries not letting out any sound as he moved. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're done! This is not my last angst fic that I will be posting in the next two months but I promise it's almost out of me! I'm weeding out some things that will force me to produce more words but I'm so happy with the way this turned out! I hope you enjoyed this!


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